


Benefaction

by Not_You



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fisting, Knotting, M/M, Matchmaking, Omega on Top, Short Chapters, don't creep on solid snake he will end you, not actually pegging but it's kind of viewed the same way in-setting?, past sexual harrassment, there's no tag for metal gear with way less fucked up shit going on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-06-06 17:37:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15199979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: The one where Snake and Otacon's lives are a little less dramatic and they meet through an Alpha/Omega matchmaking service.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since I have noticed some concern as to whether or not I'm still alive, I'm going to throw up a chapter a week of this meandering Alpha/Omega thing I've been pecking at during these long silences. Enjoy, maybe?

In the end, Hal only signs up with Philanthropy because E.E. bullies him into it. The service is named in the classical ‘love for mankind’ sense, and facilitates bonds as well as short-term heat contracts. Hal knows he’s no prize, but E.E. is sick of smelling the sad, ashy scent of an Alpha who has been alone too long, and she refuses to sit around watching her beloved brother slide further and further into depression. Really, he’ll probably never be tapped for anyone’s heat, but at least this way he has a bit of hope. He knows he smells better after his application has been accepted, and even if didn’t cheer him up, he would do almost anything for E.E. and she knows it.

Really, life has been pretty good since they found each other again, E.E. on the run from Julie’s new husband, Hal lonely and adrift in the wake of being disowned by his father, like it was his own fifteen-year-old fault that Julie went after him. Now they have a place of their own together, E.E.’s soothing Beta scent all over everything, the two of them figuring out how to cook and eating their successes together, alternating who gets to pick the delivery in the wake of their failures, and helping each other with their code. It’s a cozy existence, and Hal honestly feels like a bit of a dick for getting lonely when he _has_ someone who loves him, but E.E. is always quick to point out that it’s different, and not his fault.

When the call does come, Hal is alone in the house and eating instant noodles for dinner, the way he tends to do when left unsupervised. He scrabbles for his phone and almost chokes when he sees the agency’s number. For one wild moment he thinks they’re calling to tell him his acceptance was a mistake, that they don’t need a pathetic, weedy specimen like him. Of course, at the time of his application, they had assured him that people have all sorts of different tastes and not to worry, but people always lie about things like that. Still, better to be brave and answer it instead of hiding under the bed. He sets his cup of noodles down, mutes his current episode of Gunbuster, takes a deep breath, and answers the phone.

“Hello?” he says, trying not to sound like a person who was just cramming processed food into his face in front of a computer.

“Hi, Hal!” Mei Ling chirps, and he relaxes a little. He likes Mei Ling, she kind of reminds him of E.E.: a cute little Beta girl with a sharp mind and a kind heart. At least, he’s pretty sure about the latter, he hasn’t spent much time with her. Instead of a one-on-one management strategy, Philanthropy allocates files to small teams, so there’s a pool of about five people who have Hal’s number. Mei Ling is definitely his favorite.

“Hey,” he says, feeling a little better already. “Did the lab lose something?” There are a lot of blood tests, as might be expected, and much as Hal hates needles, he’s willing to be a team player about these things.

Mei Ling giggles. “No, not this time. We have someone interested in meeting you for heat service.”

Hal does his best not to swallow his tongue. “You do?” He winces a little at the surprise in his own voice, but Mei Ling just giggles again.

“Yes, silly! You’re more desirable than you think.”

Hal can feel himself blushing, and does his best to ignore it. “Simple heat service?” He’s still a bit worried about falling in love like an idiot when the other party just wants to scratch their itch, but he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it.

“For now,” Mei Ling says, “but they’re open to a mating bond. Would you like their packet?”

“Uh, yes please,” Hal says, trying not to stammer. “When should I expect it?”

“We can have it there in fifteen minutes, the last courier shift hasn’t clocked out yet.”

“Okay,” Hal says, and wonders if he’ll need to find a paper bag to breathe into. He’s not sure if he’s glad E.E. is out of the house or not. He could use the moral support, but privacy to look over the packet might be nice.

“Now that you’ve agreed,” Mei Ling says, “I can tell you that he’s very handsome and seemed _extremely_ interested.”

“Oh,” Hal squeaks. “That’s good.” The photo in his file isn’t even a very good one. This guy must like his scent, and isn’t that a hell of a thought.

“Call me back if it’s not there within twenty minutes, okay?”

“Okay,” Hal says, dazed, and thanks her before she wishes him luck and hangs up.


	2. Chapter 2

Waiting for the agency’s courier to show up is unbearable, but it doesn’t last long. Hal is close to the local office, and the courier is very quick. Twelve minutes exactly go by before the doorbell rings. The courier is a skinny blonde Alpha boy with the kind of sleek cybernetic legs that have been getting more affordable over the last ten years, and he smiles at Hal.

“Hal Emmerich?” he asks, and Hal nods. “I’ll need to see some ID,” he says, almost apologetically. “Agency policy.”

“A smart one,” Hal says. “Please, come in, I’ll have to go find it.”

The kid nods, and steps inside, wiping his boots on the mat. Hal can’t help but feel a little self-conscious about the general state of disarray the house is in, to say nothing of his and E.E.’s combined nerd paraphernalia, but the courier doesn’t seem to mind. Hal has to dig around a bit for his wallet, but finds it at last, showing it to the courier, who examines it carefully and then nods.

“Great,” he says, and holds out a full-size scent-blocker envelope. “Call the office to let them know what you think.”

“I will. Thanks, uh...”

“Jack,” the kid says. “Hope it works out for you,” he adds, and Hal smiles.

“Yeah, that makes two of us,” he says, and Jack grins.

Once Hal has overruled Jack’s objections to being tipped for coming out this late and seen him to the door, he takes a deep breath and sits down at the kitchen table with the packet and a stiff drink. He and E.E. don’t really drink much, but they keep some whiskey around for medicinal use, and Hal needs to steady his nerves before he opens the envelope. The rich, smoky scent that comes rolling out makes Hal whimper and bite his lip. This is just the baseline swatch that everyone gives the agency, so he can only imagine how incredible this Omega’s heat would smell.

The packets all contain the same things: the scent swatch, a photo, and a brief information sheet. Hal takes a deep breath, and tips it all out onto the table. The swatch smells even better freed of the confines of the envelope, and before Hal can go any further he just has to hold it up to his face and really breathe in every bit of its complexity. Some people prefer more sweetness to an Omega’s scent, but this dark, layered musk is incredible. He’s half hard by the time he sets it aside, and feels like the desperate loser that he is. The information sheet is next, and it’s a little intimidating. There aren’t a lot of Omegas with a Special Forces background, but Hal isn’t the kind of Alpha who thinks Omegas should stay in the kitchen, and the bit about rescue dogs makes him smile. 

Finally, Hal pulls out the photo and goddamn, it just isn’t fair. Mei Ling was right, this guy is _gorgeous_. He glares at the camera with fierce blue eyes, and Hal kind of wants to lick the hard line of his stubbly jaw. Why in the hell does this ferociously beautiful creature want anything to do with Hal? It’s enough to make him even more nervous than he was already, and there’s a terrible, vertiginous moment when he wonders if this entire thing is some kind of elaborate prank. Another swig of his drink and a few deep breaths, and Hal is reasonably sure that no one would go to this much trouble just to fuck with him. 

A quick glance at the time lets Hal know that everyone has probably gone for home for the evening, but he calls Mei Ling back anyway, leaving a voicemail message that he hopes doesn’t sound too thirsty. Yes, he would like to meet Dave Pliskin, and he’s free to do so any time this week except for Thursday, when he has a meeting with a client. That done, he hangs up, puts everything back in the envelope, and finishes his drink, somewhere between panic and joy.

E.E. comes home to find her brother riffling through his closet, half of his wardrobe already spread out on the bed, and she laughs. “Someone like the looks of your file after all, Hal?” she asks, and he knows he’s blushing again.

“Uh, yeah,” he says. “I’m probably meeting him sometime this week and do you think I should wear that shirt you got me last Christmas?”

“It does bring out your eyes,” she says, wandering into the room. “Definitely _not_ this,” she says, picking up one of the shirts on the bed. “Maybe this,” she says, looking at another, and soon she has Yes, No, and Maybe piles formed, and once again, Hal is profoundly grateful to have a sibling who really cares.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update due to boredom, enjoy!

The next day, Hal does his best to get some work done and not wait with bated breath for someone from Philanthropy to call back, but he still leaps up and scrambles for his phone when it rings. It’s Mei Ling again, which is nice. He likes Natasha and Drebin just fine, but Mei Ling is more soothing.

“Good morning, Hal!” she chirps. “I got your message, and Dave says that sooner is better than later. He’s sure he’ll be in season by the weekend, and he would like to meet you while he still has his head on his shoulders.”

“Okay,” Hal says, trying not to squeak.

“if you do decide to go through with it, do you have a hotel preference?” There are options to do this kind of thing at home, but most people opt for a heat hotel. Philanthropy is connected to three in the area, and Hal really hasn’t given it much thought.

“Uh… I wasn’t really expecting anyone to pick me,” he admits. “Maybe not the Riverside? It’s not very convenient from here.”

“A negative is a preference to be noted,” she says, and he smiles, sure she’s doing just that.

“Okay. Thanks. I, uh, I guess I could actually meet him today, if that’s not too early.” Since he’s already done with the project proposal he’s supposed to present on Thursday, the plan of action for today is just to hang around watching anime, maybe play some more Outlast if he can find the nerve.

“I’ll ask!” Mei Ling chirps, and then adds, “please hold.” Hal holds, trying to keep his heart rate down. A small eternity later, Mei Ling is back. “He says that would be great. Is one o’clock at the Burne all right?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Hal says. Thanking Mei Ling and hanging up is a blur, as is the shower that follows. 

Getting dressed is a nightmare, but at least he has E.E.’s Yes pile to work from. He does end up wearing the shirt she got him for Christmas, and after agonizing about formality levels, he goes with a pair of pin-striped slacks. He’s very proud of himself for not breaking down and calling E.E. to ask if a tie is too much. Like an adult, he makes his own decision, that it is too much. Dress shoes aren’t too much, and by the time he’s on his way out the door, he’s pretty sure he at least looks respectable. Dave is way out of his league anyway, but he’s the one who asked about Hal, even in the face of that awful photo, so surely that counts for something. Hal tries to tell himself that, anyway. He does end up calling E.E. while he waits for his cab to show up, but that’s more to tell her where he’s going. She interrogates him about his fashion choices, and, like everyone else, wishes him luck. He’s getting a little tired of that, but probably does need all the luck he can get.

Heat hotels are mostly for working out heats, as might be expected, but they also serve as meeting places for people who are still hammering out the details. So instead of choosing one of the suites, Hal goes up to the desk and presents ID. Dave is already here, in conference room 2-C. Once the receptionist is sure that Hal is who he says he is, he gives him a keycard for the room, and mercifully, does not wish him luck.

Walking up the stairs, Hal has a moment of existential vertigo, and he pauses on the landing to take a few deep breaths, very glad for all the scent-proofing places like this have. Of course, Dave is already waiting for him, so taking a moment ends up being counterproductive, and Hal races the rest of the way up to the second floor, feeling like an asshole for making what could be his Omega wait. He finds the right room, slides the keycard into the lock, and then practically falls through the doorway, feeling like he’s late for class on the first day.

“Easy, tiger,” Dave says, lounging on the couch with all the poise of the big cat in question, “you’re not late yet.” His voice is a low purr that seems to reach inside Hal and grab something important. That delicious scent fills the room, and for a moment all Hal can do is stand there, breathless and feeling incredibly stupid.

“Uh, hi,” Hal squeaks, and then just stares as Dave stands up and comes toward him in a way that could accurately be called prowling, all heavy, silent grace. Hal knows that he’s staring like an idiot, but he can’t help it.


	4. Chapter 4

The thing about being one of the only Omegas in a traditionally Alpha field, is that a guy gets really goddamn sick of traditional Alphas. Dave has never been sure what’s worse, the ones who think he should have been a honeypot instead of doing what he does best, or the ones who look at him like he’s something horrible and unnatural for doing the same shit they do. Shit, you ask Dave, an Omega has more of a right to kill. Bring you into the world and take you right the fuck back out. There’s also the ones who wanted to be all chivalrous and act like Dave can’t take care of himself. That kind of thinking fucks up ops and gets good soldiers killed, but at least the chivalrous ones were the least likely to try anything. 

The amount of of motherfuckers who have tried to touch Dave’s neck uninvited is just fucking depressing. It’s not like Dave didn’t make sure that several people pulled back broken fingers, but no Omega should have to put up with this crap. At least in training there was Master Miller to utterly fail to tolerate anything of the kind. Of course, a bent Beta has to put up with an even bigger ration of shit, so it only makes sense that he understands. At least they’re both retired now. Dave is planning to make a run up to Alaska in the summer, hang around until his favorite instructor gets sick of him. 

Dave wonders what Miller would have made of Hal Emmerich’s packet. Terrible photo, but such a subtle, fiery scent. There’s something fine and clear and delicate about it that Dave has never smelled on anyone else, and that more than anything else is why he’s sprawled on the couch in room 2-C. He would consider himself late if he hadn’t shown up yet, but that’s years of military time talking. It’s still a few minutes to 1300. Or one o’clock, as the case may be.

There’s the little click of a keycard, and Dave means to sit up properly, but Hal stumbles into the room, with a harried look on his face. Dave has to smile at how earnest and flustered he seems.

“Easy, tiger,” he says, “you’re not late yet.”

Hal goes a little bit pink, and holy hell is he cute. That photo is more than terrible, it’s sacrilegious. Dave isn’t that invested in looks, he likes a nice scent over anything else, so he had been prepared to work with the pinched, squinty face and the dull grey hair and the kind of hangdog mouth, but now he knows he won’t have to. Hal is actually fine-boned and elegant and that hair is actually silver, the mouth much more generous and curled up into a sweet, nervous smile. 

“Uh, hi,” Hal says after a moment, and there’s a little squeak to it that shouldn’t be adorable but kind of is anyway. And then the scent hits Dave, wafting in on the draft from the hallway. He knows his own is concentrated because he’s been waiting, and he comes closer, following that burning sweetness through the cloud of his own scent. It’s not really all that similar, but it reminds him of good whiskey anyway. He does his best not to shiver or drool.

“Hey,” Dave says, once he’s at about arm’s length. “You’re really cute, y’know that?”

Hal squeaks again, blushing up his hairline. “Th-thanks,” he says, and lets Dave take his hand and lead him to the couch. He knows for a fact that they have some shit to talk about, but he’s sure they’ll be more comfortable this way. “I mean, um, so are you?” he adds, after about four times the length of the longest possible natural pause, and Dave laughs.

“Thanks, honey,” he says, and settles into the corner of the couch, his arm along the back. That’s automatic, but Hal leans into it anyway and Dave does _not_ just turn his head and bury his face in Hal’s hair, even if he does feel a little drunk on that fiery haze.

He may be nervous, but it doesn’t take a lot to draw Hal out. He’s one of these eggheads who actually know how things work, and he’s not a dick about it when Dave asks questions. He’d probably be a good teacher, if he didn’t die of nerves or flee in terror from all the student crushes.


	5. Chapter 5

There’s a certain format to these things, so after babbling to Dave for a while (and he doesn’t smell bored and that’s some kind of miracle) they start to hammer out the details. They would both rather meet back here than anywhere more personal, that Dave only just cleared the suppressants from his system so he’ll probably be pretty desperate, which is a hell of a thought, and that Dave is allowed to drink but that Hal wants him clear-headed at least at first, and that they want to at least keep this friendly. Some people want to keep heat contracts as anonymous and unemotional as possible, and Hal is really, really glad that he and Dave are on roughly the same wavelength. He tries to find the words to say so and just ends up stammering a lot. It doesn’t help that Dave just keeps watching his mouth.

“Hey,” Dave says at last, “would it be all right if I kissed you?”

“...Uh, yeah,” Hal breathes, and then Dave is kissing him, gentle but very thorough. Hal does his best not to embarrass himself, and does manage to not melt, panic, or explode. He is a little dazed when Dave pulls away, though, and he can only hope he doesn’t mind.

They exchange numbers before they part ways, so Dave can call Hal the second he goes into heat proper. “The second you know,” Hal tells him, because while his limited experience is mostly disastrous, he knows that he likes to be there from the beginning, and not be thrown into the deep end.

“The second I know,” Dave says softly, and they part ways at the door.

Hal is starting to feel like this whole thing might be a very long and complex dream, and he’s not sure if he should worry about waking up before the good part, or the whole thing turning into some radioactive, blood-raining nightmare. When he gets home and puts that question to E.E., she pinches him, which he probably should have expected.

“You know you can’t read in dreams,” she says, as Hal winces and rubs his arm. “Sorry, if you can’t just walk it off,” she adds, and Hal chuckles.

“I think I’ll live, but thanks.”

The dreamlike feeling persists over the next couple of days, and Hal does his best to find a stopping point on all of his current projects without screwing anything up. E.E. helps him pack his bag, and talks him down from complete panic more than once. She’s nice enough not to ask him if he thinks he can go through with this. She knows what happened with her mother, they never talk about it, it’s fine. That’s what therapy is for.

It’s just as well that Hal can’t really sleep, because Dave calls him at three a.m, sounding more than a little sheepish. “Hey, Hal?” he asks, and he almost sounds like he’s worried about being overheard.

“Yeah? Are you all right?”

“I… uh… So I said I’d call you as soon as I knew, and I do know, but I’m mostly just lonely? It’s not gonna _really_ kick in until later, so I maybe could’ve let you sleep.”

“I wasn’t sleeping. I’ll be there as soon as I can get a cab. Do you have some preferred media, maybe? I mostly have anime, but I can bring something else. Do you need snacks?”

Dave chuckles. “No, I don’t need snacks, and we can watch whatever freaky Japanese cartoons you want.”

There’s no point waking E.E. up, so Hal just texts her and also leaves an actual paper note by the coffeemaker in case she shuffles out there before checking her phone. That done and his cab called, Hal ends up waiting on the corner, stomach knotting tighter and tighter with nerves. At least the driver is friendly, the kind of secure Alpha who grins when he hears their destination, and wishes Hal luck so sincerely that he can’t even be irritated by it. He even finds himself telling the driver about it, that it’s one of these matches through the service and that it’s been a while and he really hopes he doesn’t ruin anything.

“I’m not really qualified to judge,” the driver says, “but you seem like a nice guy, and after basic scent compatibility, caring is ninety percent of the battle.”

It’s raining when they pull up to the hotel, and the drumming of the drops on the roof is soothing as Hal counts his money. He tries to tip generously as a matter of policy, and adds extra gratuity for being encouraging. When he says so, the driver laughs. 

“It comes free of charge, but thanks, man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screw it, Sunday is a terrible time for weekly updates. Expect the next one on Friday.


	6. Chapter 6

Hal presents his ID to the clerk, who calls up to be sure that Dave hasn’t changed his mind before giving Hal the room number. His room key is already up there, only accessible if Dave lets him in. It’s a pretty good system, even if Hal does have paranoid visions of Dave incapacitated somehow and himself losing it in the hallway.

The doors are carefully made to keep scent in, but Hal feels like he can almost smell Dave’s complicated musk in the hallway. He knocks on the heavy door, and he waits just long enough to wonder if he wasn’t loud enough before Dave opens the door and drags him inside. Hal goes with it, and finds himself bundled into a tight, protective hug as Dave puts the chain back on and stares through the peephole like he’s worried that Hal was followed. Some Omegas get like this, so Hal just cuddles close and makes some soothing noises. Dave sighs, burying his face in Hal’s hair and breathing deeply, tension sliding into trembling and then back down to calm.

“It’s okay,” Hal says, and rubs Dave’s back. 

He keeps his hands well away from the nape of Dave’s neck, because he refuses to be presumptuous, and Dave rests his head on Hal’s shoulder. He’s heavy, but not too much yet. Before Hal has to bring that up, Dave is pulling him onward into the tiny suite. There’s a nest of blankets on the couch that look like something he brought from home, and the TV is on, showing what looks like an old Twilight Zone episode. There’s also a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the end table, and Hal looks closely at Dave as he pulls him down into the blanket nest. His eyes are clear and he only smells a little like he’s been drinking. He sees Hal looking and smiles.

“I’m just taking the edge off, that’s not a fresh bottle,” he says, wrapping himself around Hal’s back.

“As long as taking the edge off is an average of a shot per hour,” Hal says, wrapping his arm over Dave’s.

Dave snorts. “Excuse you, that’s proper sipping whiskey.”

“It all tastes like lighter fluid to me,” Hal says, and Dave chuckles, nuzzling in behind Hal’s ear where his scent is getting heavier in response to Dave’s rising heat.

“You’re lucky you’re cute. And that I’m smart enough to realize that this means more for me.”

“Oh, hey,” Hal says as the title card comes up on the next episode, “this one’s a classic.”

“The whole show is a classic,” Dave says, “but this one is extra good.”

They watch ‘The After Hours’ in warm silence, Dave’s scent rich and compelling, but not hot yet. As the end credits start, Dave quietly thanks Hal, and Hal knows that he means for coming this early, when it’s just time to cuddle and watch Twilight Zone.

“Hey,” Hal says, “I like this part.” He brings Dave’s hand to his mouth and kisses it, feeling warm all over at the way Dave shivers.

Hal may make a habit of staying up late, but it’s going from late to early, and he’s going to need some sleep if he’s probably supposed to knot Dave tomorrow. Dave says it might not kick in until tomorrow night or the next morning, but it’s good to be prepared. It takes a while to coax Dave up and out of his couch nest, but it’s not really big enough to sleep two adults and he knows it. Hal helps Dave strip the hotel’s blankets off the bed to replace them with with his own, and then goes through the interesting experience of brushing his teeth with someone clinging to his waist the whole time. Dave avoids being elbowed or drooled on, so Hal has to count it as a success. He even manages to shepherd Dave through most of his own ablutions, and they’re in bed by five am, Dave spooned up behind Hal again, rumbling contentedly into his hair.

“Wake me up if you need to, okay?” Hal mumbles.

“Okay.”

“But just like, shake me or something, I’ll fucking panic if you start touching me up before I’m awake.”

“Okay.” Dave hugs him a little more tightly, and Hal sighs, snuggling back against him and down into the pillows.


	7. Chapter 7

Dave does his best to be good. He wakes up aching and slick at ten in the morning, but he tries to let Hal sleep for a while. Just takes deep breaths of that exquisite scent and counts the minutes until he has to roll out of bed and start pacing the perimeter of the room. Everyone talks about Alpha protective instincts, but Dave doesn’t see how they can be any worse than the Omega set he has to live with. Apparently his lizard brain thinks the whole fucking world is his baby, and must be guarded accordingly.

A set of a hundred push-ups and some other exercises help for as long as they last, but it leaves him flushed and even worse off than before. He staggers to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face, and then goes back to bed. Hal is so fucking cute, curled up on his side, mouth slightly open and hair going in all directions. Dave wraps around him again, and sternly reminds himself not to scare Hal when his hands try to wander. It’s almost noon when he finally gives up and rises to kneel on the mattress, gently shaking Hal.

“Hey,” he murmurs, “it’s noon and I tried to wait longer but I don’t think I can anymore.”

“O-okay,” Hal says, scrabbling for his glasses. He finds them, gets them on and sits up, flushed and half-hard and so adorable. “I… uh, are you hydrated?”

“How about we get some water,” Dave murmurs, leaning in to nuzzle Hal’s neck, “and then you can knot me and I can drink it while we’re tied?”

“That could probably work,” Hal squeaks, and scrambles out of bed in search of water and condoms. He smells like he’s about halfway into a responsive rut, and Dave is fucking _delighted_ with this information. 

In a few moments Hal is back, with a strip of condoms and a carafe of water. He sets everything on the bedside table and then cups Dave’s face in his hands, looking into his eyes for a long moment before leaning in and kissing him. A shudder runs through Dave’s entire body, and he can’t help a little whimpering noise that makes Hal growl in response. His hands finally slide down to the sides of Dave’s neck, and he groans, dropping his head forward against Hal’s shoulder so Hal can grip the nape of his neck in one long, slender hand, rhythmically gripping and rubbing Dave’s sensitive skin and tense muscles. Fuck, Dave has spent so long dodging grabby hands that he has forgotten how good this feels.

“Hal,” Dave says after another tiny eternity, “I’m really gonna need you to fuck me in a minute.” He clenches around nothing as he says it, and can’t help a quiet little whine.

“Y-yeah,” Hal breathes, “sorry. You’re right, I should be taking care of you.”

“Mm, you’re doing fine,” Dave says, tipping onto his back and pulling Hal with him, “I just need knot. We can cuddle more later, I swear.”

Hal laughs, breathless and unbelieving, and kisses Dave again before sitting up and rolling on a condom. Dave watches him, hands on Hal’s hips as he finally lines himself up again Dave, trembling. He hesitates for another unbearable second, and then finally pushes into Dave, slow but steady. He gets so deep and his knot is already so broad that Dave just groans and takes it, wrapping himself around Hal’s skinny frame. He’s so wet that it’s easy, and he pants and curses when Hal speeds up. It works like hunger sometimes, where the beginning of satisfaction is the most unbearable part. Dave wails, falling apart as Hal just keeps fucking him, fast and steady and so fucking deep, right where he wants it. 

Some people refuse to knot until they’ve been in a committed relationship for a while, but right now the thought of doing anything else is repellent. He grips Hal’s ass, digging his nails in to tighter muscle than he would have expected, dragging him inward on each thrust until he’s shaking and losing the rhythm, one hand wrapping around Dave’s cock to stroke and squeeze, jerky and distracted and perfect. Dave ends up coming right on their tie, gripping Hal tightly and more tightly in waves, crying out the whole time as Hal expands inside him. He wants to say something about how goddamn huge Hal feels and how much he likes that, but he has to settle for making little whimpering noises and covering Hal’s face in kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are doing this on Friday, shit just got entirely too real this week.


	8. Chapter 8

Hal hasn’t tied with many people in his life, and most of those turned out to be terrible ideas. If this does, he’s not sure what the fuck he’s going to do, because Dave is so sweet, locked around him and still kissing him even as he scrabbles for the carafe of water, nearly spilling it before he gets a grip on it. Hal sits back and Dave has to come with him, grumbling until he gets upright enough to guzzle almost all of it.

“Better?” Hal asks, when Davids puts the carafe back on the table more by luck than design, shifting his knees so he can straddle Hal’s lap more securely.

“Yeah,” Dave says, his voice husky. “I… can you...” he struggles to speak for a moment and then gives up and takes Hal’s hand. He puts it on the back of his neck, and Hal can’t keep back a quiet, happy growl. He grips Dave’s neck, just holding it for a moment before leaning in and nuzzling that scented, delicate skin. Dave whines and squirms, tightening on him and then keening softly as Hal bites him. He presses into Hal’s teeth, trembling all over. “Oh...” he breathes, and he sounds so helpless and open that Hal just has to bite a little harder. Dave groans quietly and tips onto his back again, effortlessly hauling Hal with him.

“Jesus, you’re incredible,” Hal murmurs, and bites the other side of Dave’s neck. He makes a high-pitched, happy noise, trembling, and Hal presses a sucking kiss to the pulse in his throat.

“Aauh… fffuck,” Dave breathes, tipping his head back on the pillow. Hal growls contentedly, nuzzling into the hollow of Dave’s throat to catch even more of his scent. There are so many components to it, musk and sweetness and spice, and Hal buries his face in Dave’s skin. “Hal,” Dave whimpers, and tightens even harder around him, and Hal shudders, biting him again.

“So beautiful,” Hal mumbles, and Dave whines softly.

“Might forget how words work pretty soon,” Dave whispers, and shivers. “Should still be able to make myself clear, though.”

Hal takes his hand. “Think you can remember one squeeze for yes, two for no?” Dave squeezes once, and Hal smiles down at him. “Good boy,” he says, and before he can cringe, Dave is letting out a happy little whine. “...You like that?” Hal whispers, wondering how it’s even possible to feel shy with someone who’s wrapped around his knot. Dave squeezes his hand. “Okay,” Hal says, and lazily bites Dave’s shoulder, making him shudder and pant.

“Like bein’ good,” Dave mumbles, and something about the way he says it breaks Hal’s heart.

“You are,” Hal says, propping up on his elbows so he can look into Dave’s eyes. “Such a good Omega, letting me sleep when you need me so much, doing everything you can to make sure your den is safe...” he kisses Dave softly, and Dave coos into his mouth, clenching hard on his knot.

Their tie is closer to being a long one than a short one, and Dave just purrs when Hal asks if he’s still comfortable. Dave is starting to dry out a little by the time Hal shrinks enough to slip out, but soon he’s brimming up with new wetness. He whines and rolls onto his belly, and watching the sinuous curve of his spine makes Hal feel more than a little crazy. He can’t help trailing kisses and bites down the length of it, and when he gets to Dave’s hole he carefully licks up a few droplets of slick, making Dave quiver and whine before Hal buries his face in his cloaca, desperate for the taste of him. Dave cries out and grinds back, his scent filling the world.

“H-hal,” Dave whimpers at last, “please...”

Hal doesn’t really need to ask what he wants, not with the way he keens and arches his back even more, spreading his legs wider as Hal climbs onto him. Hal manages to get a fresh condom on as Dave makes more and more desperate noises. He’s still sane enough to know that he needs to be still and wait for Hal to get covered, but the second he is, Dave pushes back onto him, taking him to the knot on one powerful movement that leaves Hal whimpering and clinging to Dave as much for balance as the various other reasons. Soon they settle into a rhythm, and Hal fucks Dave with all his strength, sinking his teeth into Dave’s shoulder and making him wail.


	9. Chapter 9

Hal can’t hold out for very long, of course. That’s pretty obvious from the vital statistics in his Philanthropy file, but after two more rounds he has to plead for mercy and start working his hand into Dave instead of his knot. Dave had been very upfront about not minding, and Hal is glad to see that his hormones aren’t making him a liar as he shakes and moans, burying his face in the pillow and pushing back. It’s wonderful to get a partial break and this slight remove at the same time. He feels pretty instinctual himself, a little hazy and full of weird, possessive thoughts about knocking Dave up, but he’s together enough to really appreciate being able to watch Dave like this, to fuck him so hard and fast that he can feel it in the muscles of his arms, sore in the same satisfying way his back is. 

Hal’s fingertips are pruning in Dave’s slick, but he couldn’t pull his hand out if he wanted to, trapped by Dave’s tie, soft, and hot and clinging to his wrist. Dave is on his back, powerful legs lazily wrapped around Hal’s waist, and he whines as Hal gently rocks his fist inside him. He’s flushed and his eyes are more black than blue, now. He plucks Hal’s other hand from his chest with syrupy slowness, and lets out a contented little moan as he sucks the first two fingers into his mouth.

“Good?” Hal murmurs, and Dave’s calloused hand gives his the single, deliberate squeeze that means ‘yes.’ “God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he says, and Dave reacts with a pleased little squirm that only shows him off more. Hal chuckles and kisses the pulse of his heart.

Dave has a tendency to tie for a long time, and Hal slips into a doze. He’s not used to this much exercise. He wakes up to Dave gently shaking him, whining a little at the way his own movements make Hal’s hand tug at their tie. “Dave?” Hal mumbles.

“Your stomach was growling,” Dave slurs. He sounds drunk, but his hands are steady as he digs between the mattress and the headboard and comes up with a bag of what looks like jerky, protein bars, and various types of trail mix. “Most people who aren’t used to it don’t like protein powder,” he says, the words loose and sloppy but understandable as he opens a protein bar and a strip of jerky, pushing both into Hal’s free hand in a clumsy crinkle of wrappers.

“Thank you,” Hal whispers, his throat suddenly tight because Dave is so fucked up but still trying to take care of him. He eats the sawdust-and-peanut-butter flavored bar and then tears into the jerky. It tastes like some kind of good brand for people who care about nutrition, rather than the hyperprocessed grease sticks Hal favors. It’s pretty good, and Dave makes a satisfied rumbling noise when Hal says so. “You know,” Hal says, “it’s not the first word I would’ve thought of, but you’re really cute.”

“Cute?” Dave rumbles, blinking slowly. 

Hal chuckles and kisses his forehead. “Yeah,” he says softly, “really cute.” 

Dave lets out a happy little cooing noise that does nothing whatsoever to prove Hal wrong. It’s hard to reach the water from here, but Hal manages to just get it between his fingertips, pulling it closer and then getting a real grip on it, bringing it over to feed Dave a long swig of water before taking one for himself. Dave sighs, and as soon as Hal has set the carafe aside, Dave tugs him down into a rough, messy kiss that makes him whine and shudder.

When Dave’s body finally releases Hal’s hand, he’s nearly exhausted enough to sleep, but fully in heat now and unwilling to be alone for a second. He follows Hal to the bathroom, and Hal pulls him into the shower because they might as well kill two birds with one stone. They’ll be here for another day or two and will assuredly get disgusting again, but that’s no reason to marinate in it. Besides, it’s kind of nice to just wash Dave, while he stands there with a silly smile on his face, on his face that Hal can barely see without his glasses but can definitely smell, the bathroom full of Omega-scented steam. Dave makes happy rumbling noises, and Hal really can’t help wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and giving it a gentle squeeze that makes Dave shiver and sway forward, kissing Hal again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In before the downtime, because why not?

Dave’s heat lasts another two days, but halfway through the last one, there’s a definite change. The breaks get longer, Dave doesn’t tie as tight, and he’s clearly shifting down to a mid-cycle level of slick. It’s a relief, the sheets have been _disgusting_. It’s also nice to get more than a couple hours of sleep at a time, and Hal sits up suddenly from a long stretch, suddenly sure that he’s been under for twelve hours, leaving poor Dave all alone. 

The first sound he hears is that low chuckle that’s rapidly becoming familiar, and he relaxes almost before his eyes are open. “Don’t worry,” Dave says, “it’s wearing off.”

“Okay,” Hal says, and lies back down, rolling into Dave’s arms with a happy little sigh that he can’t help.

“God, you’re cute,” Dave rumbles, and then suddenly laughs.

“What?” Hal asks, trying to ignore a little spasm of paranoia about the hormones wearing off and leaving Dave incredulous at his own choice.

“I just know I’m cooling down, ‘cause I want to fuck you,” he says. “We don’t have to,” he adds quickly, and his slightly apologetic tone makes Hal hug him tightly, suddenly angry at whoever made Dave feel like he had to apologize for his desires. His own hormones must still be running high. Dave puffs air sharply out of his nose, but doesn’t let go. “Hal?”

“I just… of course I can say no to being fucked, but you shouldn’t feel bad about asking.” He can feel himself blushing. “And, uh, I’m not saying no.”

“Okay,” Dave murmurs, and kisses the top of Hal’s head. “You ever done it before?”

“No,” Hal says, just as quietly, “but I trust you.” 

Dave shudders and whines, hips bucking. There’s a soft cloud of Omega arousal around him that’s distinct from his heat, and it makes Hal’s mouth water. Dave rolls onto his back, pulling Hal with him. There is lube provided as a courtesy for the episodes of dryness that every Omega experiences at some point, and Dave scrabbles it out of the bedside drawer. There aren’t any Beta-style external condoms here, but Dave says that rolling up the knot portion of an Alpha one will work. It goes unspoken that they both have clean blood tests, but it still feels sketchy not to use some kind of barrier.

Hal doesn’t know a whole hell of a lot about reverse-mounting, as people call it, but he’s more than willing to try. Dave is very careful with him, just rubbing the lubricant over and over his hole in slow circles as he straddles Dave’s hips.

“Gotta be careful with Alphas,” Dave murmurs, “they’re delicate.”

Hal lets out a breathless laugh and then gasps as Dave just presses with one finger, letting Hal’s body slowly open up and take it in. Hal does his best to take deep breaths and relax. Dave works deeper and presses in a way that makes Hal moan. He can hear the note of surprise in it, and Dave chuckles.

“Like that?” he purrs, doing it again.

“Y-yes!” Hal gasps.

Dave growls, one hand on the nape of Hal’s neck hauling him down for a kiss, the other stretching him open on two fingers, now. Hal whimpers and presses down onto Dave’s hand. He’s not sure he could relax like this without the scent of Dave’s heat saturating everything in the room. As it is, Dave soon has a third finger buried in Hal, working them in gentle, inexorable circles, loosening him up. It’s like nothing Hal has ever felt before. He’s hot all over and can’t stop whimpering, hips grinding in automatic circles. When Dave strokes his covered tip across Hal’s hole, Hal lets out a high, quavering noise that makes him blush down to his shoulders.

“You’re so fucking cute,” Dave breathes, and then lines himself up against Hal, just providing resistance as Hal slowly sinks down onto his smooth Omega cock. He doesn’t stop until the rolled rim of the condom is pressed against him. He pitches forward onto his hands, head hanging as he catches his breath. He knows that he’s a lot bigger than Dave, but he feels so full, panting as he clenches and relaxes on him. “O-okay?” Dave asks, and Hal kisses him.

“Yes,” he gasps, starting to slowly rock. “Fffuck, Dave...”

“Yes,” Dave growls, big hands on Hal’s hips, following his rhythm. Hal moans, riding him for another few minutes before Dave rolls them over, all that strength pinning Hal to the mattress.


	11. Chapter 11

Dave loves this so fucking much that it makes him a little worried that he loves Hal. Just drowning himself in Alpha scent like this is so addictive. Every other time Dave has fucked an Alpha, it has taken at least a little convincing. That he’ll still respect them, that if it hurts they don’t have to do it, that it doesn’t make them bent. Bent when they’re still with an Omega, it’s ridiculous. To have Hal just trust him like this is intoxicating, and Dave moans, grinding as deep into Hal as he can get and watching his face to see what it does to him. 

Hal almost looks drugged, gazing up at Dave with dilated eyes, voicing each exhale in a helpless ‘ah’ as he moves with Dave in an easy, unselfconscious way that no other Alpha has ever matched. Dave covers him in kisses and gentle bites, and forgets himself enough to actually pin Hal down. Fortunately, Hal doesn’t seem to mind at all. His hands flex fretfully for a moment, but he isn’t trying to get away, and once Dave laces their fingers together, holding Hal’s hands while he pins them, Hal relaxes again.

Dave fucks Hal deeper and faster than he really meant to, but Hal just smells like pleased, half-rutting Alpha, and like he’s about to come. Alphas get oversensitive when they come, delicate flowers that they are, and Dave is careful to time it so that seconds after his own climax sizzles through him like summer lightning, he’s stroking and squeezing Hal’s knot in both hands. For some people knotrubs are a lost art after high school, but Dave takes pride in giving a good one. In less than a minute Hal is letting out a desperate wail, his skinny body trying to fold like a jackknife as Dave keeps him pinned to the mattress with his own weight, kneading Hal’s knot until he subsides into quiet whimpering. Once he’s still, Dave shifts some weight off of him and just keeps his hands wrapped around Hal’s knot, only moving one for the time it takes to peel off the condom.

Hal whines softly, and when he can move again, he rolls onto his side and tucks his face in against Dave’s neck. He clings to Dave with a touching lack of any attempt to ‘Alpha up.’ He is wrecked and he’s Alpha enough to admit it, and Christ, maybe Dave _is_ falling for him. He hugs Hal tightly, and cuddles him for a long time, one hand still gently wrapped around his knot. Lying here so cozy, Dave’s exertions and the hormonal crash catch up with him, and he falls asleep with his hand still on Hal’s knot.

Some Omegas barely crash at all, but Dave always spends most of his first real day out of his heat asleep. He’s always tired even if he has been working it out by himself (perhaps especially then) and now Hal is just so soothing and comfortable in his arms. He nuzzles into that scruffy hair and breathes in Hal’s scent for hours, sometimes as much as three-quarters awake, but never quite there.

This is a pretty nice hotel, which means that all the rooms are non-smoking, a fact that comes crashing in on Dave as his heat ebbs further and his body remembers that they’re dependent on nicotine. It all comes up in a rush before he’s even properly awake, the headache, the irritability, and everything else. He rolls out of Hal’s embrace and mutters that he needs a smoke, staggering out over Hal’s half-awake protests. There’s a protected stairwell for Omegas to use, and a supervised smoking area. People tend to be pretty loopy, and it’s good to have staff to make sure nobody ambles into the street or takes candy from a stranger.

By the time he finishes his cigarette, Dave is actually lonely, and feels like a complete idiot as he scrambles back into the hotel and up the stairs because he forgets that the elevator is an option. It’s only eight floors, it’s fine. He does at least figure out the key, and almost knocks Hal over with the door when he finally gets it open. He flings himself into Hal’s arms and the two of them wobble before Hal definitely gets his feet under him, but the whole time he’s making soothing noises and hugging Dave tightly, even as his own heart hammers.

“There,” Hal murmurs, when both of their heartbeats and breathing have slowed a little, “that’s better. I got worried too, I think we’re still too hormonal to separate.”

“Sorry,” Dave mumbles into the side of Hal’s neck, and Hal kisses him on the head.

“It’s okay,” he says, “but you should probably let me feed you.”

Alphas always want to feed you afterward, and Dave will probably find himself painfully hungry about twenty minutes from now, so he lets Hal tuck him back into bed and order room service.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late, I am just now beginning to recover from last week. It has been a Thing. @_@


	12. Chapter 12

Hal is glad to be able to rest as Dave cools down at last. Hal has never really gotten to enjoy this part of it before, either keeping secrets or getting thrown out by hookups who don’t want him around when they’re clear again. It’s really nice to just lie where with Dave while he’s all sleepy and cuddly and adorable. 

Having Dave leap up to get his fix is jarring, but Hal calls down to the smoking area like the fretful Alpha he is. The attendants there are used to this kind of thing, and let him know that Dave is present and well. They keep it to just that to not be too intrusive, and Hal does his best not to mind. He feels like he should be ordering food or changing the linens or something, but instead he just paces. Just when Hal has decided to go and find Dave if he’s going to be so long getting back, the door flies open and he suddenly has his arms full of trembling Omega.

Hal holds Dave until he’s calmer, and then leads him back to bed. His blood is still running hot enough that he tucks Dave in and then steps away, not wanting to fall into fucking him one last time when what he really needs to do is feed him.

Room service at heat hotels is particularly efficient and polite, because it has to be. Hal is only about average levels of instinctual, but he has a feeling that any kind of holdup or problem in ordering food for Dave would reduce him to tears, screaming rage, or both at once. Fortunately, there are no holdups, and the Beta male on the other end of the line is willing to list all the side options twice, because Hal’s brain is so far from optimum. He’s not even sure of Dave’s preferences, but breakfast feels right and Dave doesn’t say anything when Hal asks for eggs, toast, pancakes, seasonal fruit, and ham, bacon, and sausage because choice is impossible.

Once Hal has finally gotten that straightened out, he crawls into bed beside Dave, snuggling into the crook of his neck and taking a deep breath. 

Dave holds him for a while and then chuckles. “Better?” he asks.

“Feel better when you’re fed,” Hal mutters, and then feels himself flush as his stomach growls. Dave hugs him tightly and kisses the top of his head.

“You too, honey,” he says, and it’s so sweet in his husky voice that Hal shivers.

The way Dave plows into their giant room service breakfast is simultaneously disgusting and precious, and Hal is surprised at how important it feels to be sure that Dave gets back every single goddamn calorie he just expended. Dave is almost as adamant, and they both eat until the only option is to crawl back into bed. Hal wraps around Dave’s back, nuzzling into the spot behind his ear where the scent is strong enough to fill the world. He sighs and hugs Dave tightly, too relaxed even to care about how noodley his arms must seem to Dave.

“Y’real cute,” Dave mumbles, and he kisses the back of Hal’s hand, soft lips and silky-prickly stubble making a contrast that Hal is afraid he’s addicted to now. “Realll cute,” Dave repeats, turning Hal’s hand and nuzzling into his palm, kissing and gently sucking on the skin there.

“Wanna see you again,” Hal mutters, before he can stop himself. He clings to Dave and does his best not to actually cry. He’s such an idiot and now is not the fucking time and maybe there could’ve been something here but now Dave will be mad at him--

“Breathe,” Dave says, and Hal does, hauling in a deep breath that overwhelms him with Dave’s pleased, well-fed and contented scent. He breathes with Dave, comforted by his heartbeat. “Of course I want to see you again,” Dave says, lacing his fingers through Hal’s. “I… Hal, I’ve had a lot of Alphas try to scruff me without asking, _forget_ letting me fuck them.”

Hal’s mood swings to rage so fast it makes him a little dizzy, and that realization makes it drain away a little, even if he does still want to fight every last one of thse Alphas. Every last one of those jacked Special Forces Alphas who could break him in half with their bare hands. God, he must really be hormonal. 

He whimpers, and Dave chuckles, kissing Hal’s hand again. “Like you a lot, Hal. You’re sweet.”


	13. Chapter 13

There’s probably nothing on earth that can keep the last moments in a heat hotel from being embarrassing. The quiet backtracking from bestial nakedness into buttons and laces and zippers is just genuinely strange in a way that no one can do much about. The staff try, blandly pleasant and professional no matter what happens, but Hal is still a mess on his way out. He kind of wants to just follow Dave home, wrap around him, and sleep for days, but of course he’s going to give his Omega their space. Oh god he’s thinking of Dave as his Omega, this is exactly the kind of thing he shouldn’t do.

They’re waiting to turn in their keycards, standing side by side in the lobby, and Dave breaks in on Hal’s silent panic with, “Hey, Hal?”

“Y-yeah?” Hal desperately wants to hold his hand, but is afraid to reach for it and he feels so acutely ridiculous that there’s a powerful impulse to just drop to the floor and crawl away to hide under one of the giant sofa sectionals.

“I want to see you again.” Hal does his best not to choke on his own spit as Dave continues, “Take some time to rest up and think, but call me when you’re done.”

Hal makes some vague noise in his throat, and takes Dave’s hand, squeezing it for a long moment. “I will,” is all he can physically manage to say, but it does the trick.

After they leave their keycards at the desk, Hal kisses Dave and then runs off to gets a cab home even though he kind of wants to ask Dave for a ride. It’s usually Omegas who are cagey about where they live, but somehow Hal feels like he needs to take some time with this, even if he doesn’t really want to.

E.E. is waiting for him, lurking in the kitchen with a pot of tea. It’s a mixture of Beta caretaking instincts (and Hal _did_ want a warming drink more than he realized) and the desire for as much information as she can take without getting grossed out. She pours for both of them, lets Hal take a few sips in peace, and then just says, “Well?”

“...I really, really like him,” Hal says, and E.E. lets out a scream of delighted laughter, clapping her hands.

Hal tells her all the sibling-appropriate things he knows about Dave, and shows her the file photo. She lets out a low whistle that only doesn’t annoy him because she’s his sibling, and a Beta. He still frowns at her, but she just giggles.

When E.E. hears that Dave specifically asked to see Hal again, she beams and hugs Hal, and it’s nice to have someone so genuinely happy for him.

Really, dating is even worse than heat service, as far as Hal’s nerves are concerned. He’ll be getting a lot less help from Dave’s hormones, and there will be other people to screw up with besides the desk clerk at a heat hotel where the staff have probably seen just about everything. 

E.E’s encouragement turns out to be invaluable. Hal is covered in genuine cold sweat the first time he calls Dave, but he can do it with E.E. holding his hand, her headphones on to ease the skin-peeling embarrassment of having someone else in the room.

“Hal?” Dave asks, and he sounds so genuinely happy to hear from Hal that it’s all Hal can do not to whimper.

“Uh, yeah. Hey. How are you?” It all sounds stilted as hell, but he has nothing else to say if he’s not going to start babbling, and that never works out. Dave has been fine, of course, and his dogs are doing well. 

Dave isn’t a man of many words, but Hal knows to always get someone with pets started on the pets, and it works pretty well here. Apparently there are currently five huskies, but that could change at any moment. An invitation to meet them comes up so naturally that Hal is agreeing before he can even really start to panic about it. He has to do that part after he hangs up. 

E.E. is always very helpful and understanding when Hal freaks out, and now is no exception. She pats his hand and makes soothing noises and tells him that no, getting a bag of high-quality, organic dog treats would not be a ridiculous idea, and that yes, he can text Dave to ask about the ingredients, and no, she will not tell Dave that Hal needed his hand held for this conversation. Hal is properly grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha remember when these were weekly? Yeah, me neither. Thanks for still being there, though. This will be a series, whenever I get around to it.


End file.
